We are all one

"What God has cleansed, you must not call common."  Acts 10:15  NKJV

God was putting Peter through a complete, life-changing training session here. What God has accepted, so must we. Cornelius had requested that Peter visit him to discuss Godly matters. Peter, although struggling with the idea of going to a Gentile's home, went because God had earlier shown him how God can change and cleanse people and situations.

When he arrived, Cornelius fell down at his feet and began to worship him. However, Peter lifted him up saying that he was a man just like him. Peter also spoke some profound words: 'You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish Man to keep company with, or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean' Acts 10:28. 

God was showing Peter that Old Testament rituals were no longer binding. Believers were not to call unclean what God had cleansed. The wall between Jew and Gentile had been torn down by Jesus Christ 'But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ' v13 of Ephesians 2:11-22. If God has cleansed a person regardless of their ethnic or religious background, His people ought to accept that person as brother or sister.

In this day and age, racism is still a great problem - everywhere, one only has to check the news each day to see this. But we don’t have to follow suit. None of us know what we will find when we go to heaven. There will be people there that we probably felt at the time, were 'dodgy' and would never make it. Jesus didn't feel the same and they made it. Alternatively, those who we class as fine, upstanding men or women of God, may not be there. Why, I don't know but God knows all of us through and through, nothing is hidden from Him. It is quite a scary thing to discuss really but also, it makes us examine ourself. Is there something that you do that you know, you shouldn't be doing? Could that prevent you going to heaven or losing some rewards? It is best to analyse this now as it will be too late when your time comes. Jesus is having a clean up, I think we should also!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

 

 

 

 

Accepted by God, then accepted by us too

"Then Ananias answered, 'Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name."  Acts 9:13-15 NKJV 

Saul had been a great persecutor of the Christian church and had held Stephen's clothing, while he was being stoned. He was a strong Pharisee and would stop at nothing to block the way of Jesus Christ. But he met his match on the Damascus Road that day (Acts 9:3-6). He was struck blind and directed by Jesus to go into the city to meet with a man called Ananias. God spoke with him and told him that Saul would be visiting him: “Ananias.”And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”11So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.  12And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”13Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.  14And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”

Now Ananias was reluctant - wouldn't you have been? But he obeyed God and he laid hands on Saul and his eyes were opened and he was baptised. Word went out about this and when Saul tried to join the disciples; they were all very wary of him; disbelieving him as if he had another motive.

Put yourself into this situation. For a moment, watch Saul persecuting and having people killed for their faith. These are people that you know, you grew up together, and this man is hurting them. You've already seen what he had done to Stephen - your friend, who will be next? Now you notice Ananias walking up the street called Straight. He walks into Judas' house. Word has it that Saul is in there and Ananias is healing him. What??? The next thing is, Saul wants to join up with the disciples. You are not having that, this man is not one of ours. But the thing is, Jesus tells you that Saul is your brother, he now belongs to Jesus and is a fellow believer - one of the team. 

This must have been how the early Christians would have felt about Saul, who was soon to be known as Paul. The twelve struggled, just like you would have done. You struggle when someone 'suspicious' comes into the church and takes up a leading position. 'Who is this?' You declare. Jesus says, 'this is going to be your new pastor, accept him like I accepted you.'

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

 

 

 

 

You can't take God on and win!

"but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it - lest you even be found to fight against God."  

                                                                   Acts 5:39  NKJV 

In parts, this piece of scripture looks like a comedy scene. Peter and John had once again been caught preaching about Jesus in public. So Peter and John were once again arrested and placed in a guarded cell. During the night, an angel turned up, opened the prison doors and freed them, directing them to go and preach in the temple about Jesus.

God always has a way, no one can outsmart Him, But when God starts working, the devil does too. Jonathan Edwards is quoted as saying something similar, 'When the church is revived so is the devil.'  So when you are in blessing, it is not the time to sit back, have a day off and enjoy things. We have to stay vigilant.

It's amazing when you think about it, the guards were still on the door keeping things safe, or so they thought and then an angel escorted by Peter and John passes them by and the angel locks the door again. v23. The angel sent them to preach in the temple, not to hide away from their enemies. It was time to move forward, retreating gets us nowhere. So there they were preaching on the streets again. Have you ever done this? It is quite scary at first until you get used to it. Then it  comes as second nature. There will be hecklers though but this goes with the territory.

The next day, the high priest and Sadducees, sent for Peter and John but were quickly told that the cell was stilled locked up, guarded but there was no one in there. Eventually they were found in the temple teaching about Jesus v25. One would have felt that they would have asked Peter and John how on earth had they got out of their cell but, surprisingly they didn't. Perhaps they had figured it out themselves but didn't want the crowd to be considering miraculous ideas. They took them back to the council and as they were deliberating about all what had happened, Gamaliel, a respected teacher of the law spoke up with these words of wisdom:

'And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men.  36For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing.  37After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed.  38And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing;  39but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.40And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.'

We really cannot take God on and win. Many have tried and, many have failed. Gamaliel was a wise man and could see that, if this was of God, no one would be able to stop it. And it's the same today. There may be great Christian outreach's all over the place, if God is in them, then no matter what protesters try to do, He will win. Don't ever, allow people to prevent you from speaking about Jesus. It is your right as a Child of God, no matter what all of the protesting organisations are saying we can't do. We can, because Jesus said so!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

 

 

 

 

They had been with Jesus

"But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name."  Acts 4:17  NKJV 

Peter and John were arrested because they were becoming a threat and, an embarrassment. A man had been healed, of that there was no doubt and Peter and John were becoming too vocal on the streets talking about Jesus. It had to stop. Therefore, the Sanhedrin decided to forbid the teaching of Jesus to anyone. Peter's response to this was:

'But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.  20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”  21So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.' Acts 4:19-21.

Once a person has met powerfully with Jesus, they cannot avoid speaking about Him, the Holy Spirit within them will not allow anyone to do this. Peter was having none of this and told them so. One thing the Sanhedrin noticed was the fact that they had been with Jesus: 'Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. 14And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it'. Acts 4:13-14.

It's no wonder that Peter and John had wanted to praise God. Word would have got to them, either from the crowd or the Holy Spirit, that the Sanhedrin had noticed something special about them - they had been with Jesus. Therefore, the first port of call was to praise God with their companions v23-24. Just think about that, it had been noticed that they had been with Jesus and had personally been trained by Him for 3 years. It is doubtful that anyone would have had the anointed training at any bible college that the disciples had undergone.

As you spend time with Jesus, you will become so much like Him that people will not fail to notice that you are different. Especially, when you refuse to water-down the gospel. It is life and people need this life. Today, just feel grateful that Jesus - Your Friend, has saved your soul and given you His name. Now that's something to praise Him for.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

 

 

 

 

Overwhelming power of the Holy Spirit

"Others mocking said, 'They are full of new wine."  Acts 2:13  NKJV  

Wherever you go and whatever you do for the Lord, you will always have the mockers around. Sometimes they turn up from nowhere, at other times they reveal what you had always suspected. They are not your friends and are sent to distract and take your mind off what is God's plan. They are very convincing sometimes, and at other times they can be brutally nasty. Avoid them.

We see a different Peter here. One moment he is standing with the other disciples v14, the next, he is addressing the crowds. What had happened? The fear had gone and he had turned into the man of God that Jesus had forgiven, re-built and blessed in John 21. And now, with the overwhelming power of the Holy Spirit, He was on fire - a preacher at work. Peter told them that they were not drunk but they were living the word of the prophets. He really laid it on thickly letting them know that if they had been observant to God's word, they would known this. Peter continued:

'Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren what shall we do?" 38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit"  Acts 2:36-38

Peter carried on preaching; he was alive for Jesus and he was living out his calling. He preached and around three thousand souls were saved that day. Now, for a preacher who has never preached before, that really is something and he must have felt elated, however, he would be sure to give the glory to God. 

The church today needs this power. Sadly many sermons are preached with very little response. to them. Altar calls are intermittent. There appears to be more time allocated to worship than there is to God's Word. People may say that worship is still God's word but, that may be ambiguous. We need God's word being preached in the power of the Holy Spirit with so much power that, souls are saved, lives are changed and the name of Jesus is glorified. Amen?

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

 

 

 

 

The Holy Spirit

"When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind."  

                                                               Acts 2:1-2  NKJV

Jerusalem was packed at this time. It was a holiday season -  the Day of Pentecost and many people from far and wide visited for this purpose. The disciples, were still avoiding people because of their fear of the authorities, so they were together in the house. Notice a very important thing, they were together of one accord in one place. They were united in Jesus. An important emphasis is made connecting unity and obedience in order to experience the presence, the power and the influence of the Holy Spirit. If a church is not together in unity and obedience, no matter how much worship and praise is offered, there will be very little that happens in that place. If people are at loggerheads and back-biting with gossips of all kinds, the Holy Spirit cannot work in such a fellowship. Changes will need to be made of which, making Jesus the central part of the church should be uppermost. 

The disciples were together and 'suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind' v2. I was in Burnham on Sea a few years ago and I decided to walk down to the beach. The tide was coming in but, it was far off on the horizon. I busied myself taking a few photographs when suddenly, there was an awesome sound, rather like an express train had gone by. It was the tide, I never knew that it came in so fast and so noisy. It was quite an experience. I relate this experience to the sound that the disciples heard that morning. It would have been awesome and very supernatural but the bonus was when tongues of fire came on them and they began to speak in other

 languages.

This is not to be confused with the heavenly language that the Holy Spirit gives us for our powerful prayer life. This was much different because visitors to the city were hearing their own language being spoken. Everyone was speaking in each other's tongue and this brought confusion but also a desire to know more about it. If they had been speaking in their own heavenly language, no one would have been able to understand them and they may have been labelled as mad. As it is, some began spreading it around that they were drunk. They were not intoxicated with wine but they were overdosed in the Holy Spirit. They would also never be the same again. Watch this space!

 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

 

 

 

 

God has a plan

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth."   

                                                                Acts 1:8  NKJV 

Jesus was getting ready for His ascension into heaven. Therefore, He wanted the disciples to understand their role in His plan. It was preparation time. He told them that within a few days they would be baptised with the Holy Spirit. They understood this because, Jesus had already prepared them. If you look back at John 20:21-22, we read:

'So Jesus said to them again, 'Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.' 22 'And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'

This was a foretaste of what He had for them very soon. They needed strength to be able to meet the daily problems that they were receiving from their enemies and therefore needed a certain authority that could only come from Jesus. The full level of The Holy Spirit would come very soon.

As I mentioned, Jesus was preparing them. He wanted them to be ready but it was essential that there was a waiting period for this to take place. Preparation is essential for the Christian worker, they need to be equipped with the Word of God. Once you are on the streets, you need to be sure of what you are saying to people. So they had a short time of prayer and meditation as they prepared for the greatest test of their lives.

Note how Jesus planned things out, giving the disciples a blue print of the areas they would go. It was systematic. Later, the Holy Spirit would have the total control but, until then, this was the plan. Be careful here. It is so easy to take the control and run ahead doing your own thing. Sometimes, people don't seem to go as quick as you feel they should go. The truth is, it may work both ways and they may be thinking, 'I wish they would slow down and work with us.' As much as some people don't like it, there is a need for team work. There are no Lone Rangers in God's Army. We must be united and in step with each other. Otherwise, the devil will have a heyday. Remember Eve in the garden?

Therefore, allow God to knock you into shape. He has an awesome mission for you so, get ready.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2